Raising Brooke
by I 3 cmm
Summary: Based on the movie Raising HelenSlightly AU. Brooke has to take in her older sister's 3 children after she and her husband are killed. How will Brooke deal with the trials and tribulations of raising three kids? Read and REVIEW to find out!
1. At Least We Have The Memories

A/N: This is based on the movie(or should I say my FAVORITE movie:)) "Raising Helen". It's slightly AU, but basically Brooke has to take in her 2 nieces and nephew after her older sister dies. It has many of the same "details" as in the movie, as well as many new ones and some the same but "twisted" a little bit!! As always, I don't own anything (except for Lexi, Ryan, Olivia, etc.)! Please RR!!!!! Also, I know all of my facts aren't exactly straight…. just work with me!:)

Just a few notes:  
-Brooke is about 26 in this fic. She has 2 older sisters (AU!)—Molly is her sister that died, and would be around 39, whose children are Lexi (15) Olivia (12) and Ryan (6) and then her sister Julie who is about 34 and has two of her own children, Hannah (5) and Tyler (3). Also, this story takes place in the L.A./California area, but there will be appearances by the OTH cast 

* * *

Brooke Davis sat at the table in what used to be her oldest sister's dining room. For the past few days, it had been anything but. To 

Brooke, it had been a room in which people had been in and out of, offering their condolences on the passing of Molly and her

husband Jack. It had been anything but the room that they had held countless family gatherings in. That room had been filled with love

and laughter. This room was filled with tears and sadness. A week ago, it had been the first:

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Brooke ran up to her sister's house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, late as usual. What could she do? She worked at an extremley high profile publicist firm, and was hoping to land a spot as a publicist for some of Hollywood's A-listers. Between work and partying in LA, it was tough to make it to family gatherings, let alone on time! But still, she loved and cherished the time she got to spend with her sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews. _

_She flew through the door just in time to hear the final verses of "Happy Birthday" and to see Molly blow out all 38 candles!_

"_I'm Here!!" she exclaimed, as only Brooke Davis could._

"_Brooke!!" Molly jumped up from her seat, Brooke's nieces and nephews following. Brooke noticed Julie, aka Martha Stewart, roll her eyes, but chose to ignore it._

"_I'm here!"Brooke laughed, "late but here!"_

"_Well, that's all we ask!" Molly chuckled back, hugging her tightly._

"_Hey you guys!!" Brooke said to her nieces and nephews, trying to give them all 'half-hugs' at once._

"_Come on, Come on, we need to cut this cake!!!" Julie said tightly from the other side of the room. _

"_Nice to see you too, Jules" Brooke said to herself. She started to follow Molly and the kids back into the dining room before she felt a tug on her arm. She turned to see her oldest niece, Lexi, standing right behind her. Lexi was the spitting image of Brooke at her age except her brown hair was streaked with caramel and blonde highlights... She was absolutley gorgeous, with perfect skin, a great tan, and, of course, the killer Davis smile. _

"_Hey, can I talk to you really fast?" Lexi said, seeming slightly distressed._

"_Sure" Brooke smiled back, "Hey Jules, I'm going to grab the ice cream out of the freezer with Lex really fast, need anything else?"_

"_Oh great, yeah can you grab some more birthday napkins from the counter?" Julie called back._

"_No problem" Brooke giggled. Oh Julie…ever the homemaker._

_She followed Lexi into the kitchen and made sure the swinging door was shut behind her._

"_So what's up babe?" Brooke said, looking at Lexi leaning on the counter, playing with her acryilic nails. _

"_Um…ok well I guess I'll just cut to the chase…could you sign this paper so that I could get a perscription for birth control?" Lexi said, spitting out the last part rather quickly._

"_Wow…um sweetie have you talked to your mom about this?" Brooke asked her slowly. She didn't really know what to make of Lexi's request… 'What's the harm in it?' she thought to her self, 'better safe than sorry'. But, she knew Molly would probably kill her._

"_No…" Lexi replied back " She would freak out if she even suspected I was THINKING about sex, let alone doing it!" _

_As far as Brooke knew, Lexi had come close, but hadn't actually done "it". Brooke and Lexi had grown pretty close over the __past couple of years. Lexi came to her with everything. Brooke knew what Lexi had done with what guys and when, and a __couple of months ago she had been the first one Lexi had excitedly shown her fake I.D. to. When Lexi had first mentioned to her about having sex with her current boyfriend Tony, Brooke had basically just told her to be safe about it and to do it when and if she felt right. Not too bad, if she did say so herself._

"_Well…okay fine!"Brooke giggled. She loved getting to be Lexi's pseudo big sister. "But, if your mom finds out you have these, I had NOTHING to do with it," Brooke smiled. " And you still have to use protection, got it?"_

"_Got it" Lexi smiled back, obviously relieved._

_Brooke signed the sheet and handed it back to Lexi. She went to pull the ice cream out of the freezer. "So…does this mean that you and whats-his-face are like doing it now!?"_

_Lexi just smiled mischieviously back at her._

"_Oohh my little Lexi is growing up…just be careful okay?" Brooke added, a little more seriously. She loved getting to be "fun Aunt Brookie", but she still had to add in a responsible tidbit_

"_I will Aunt Brooke, I promise"_

_The two headed back to the dining room to join the rest of the family. _

_The rest of the evening was spent joking and enjoying eachother's company. After they had all finished cake and ice cream, Julie and her husband Mark stood up. _

"_We have an announcement to make" Julie said, smiling from ear to ear. " In about six months…well February 16__th__ to be exact…we're expecting our 3__rd__ baby!!"_

_The room exploded into sounds of cheers and congratulations. It was the perfect way to cap off a perfect night with her sisters. _

_About an hour later, around eleven, Brooke bade everyone farewell to get back to the city and start her night. Even though it was only Thursday, Brooke Davis had a thriving nightlife. She hugged everyone good-bye, and finally Molly. "Happy Birthday big sis" she said in her ear. "Have too much fun in Vegas this weekend, okay?" "Oh Brooke…I don't think I'll ever able to outdo you" Molly giggled back. "Okay well, have a safe flight on Saturday, and I'll call you next week to hear all about it!" Brooke smiled. And with that, she walked out the door to head back to the City of Angels. _

* * *

Too bad they would never even get on the plane. On their way to the airport that Saturday morning, Molly and Jack's car collided 

with another and was sent flying into the median. Both were killed instantly on impact. Now it was Tuesday night, and while Brooke

should have talked to her sister that morning about her amazing birthday trip to Vegas, she instead had spent it at her funeral. Julie had

held a reception at Molly's house after the funerals, and the two sisters had just finished cleaning up from the day's advance. They

were now seated in the dining room, sitting across the table from Molly and Jack's lawyer, who had come to talk with Julie and

Brooke about their sister's assests and, most importantly, the custody of her children.

"Well, I see it has been decided amongst yourselves that you are going to sell the property, entitled to John and Molly Ivers at 9389

Ravenswood Drive." The lawyer, Rick Jones said solemnly. While he was only their lawyer, he had known Molly, Julie, and Brooke

for quite some time, even when they had been younger and growing up in Tree Hill, North Carolina, as he had been friends with their

parents.

"Yes, that would be correct." Julie replied.

"Okay, well then, the monies from the sale of the house will go to trust funds set up for the children at the bank" Rick continued.

"Now, our next and most important issue. In regards to custody of Alexia Danielle, Olivia Lauren, and Ryan Graham, sole

guardianship is entrusted to Brooke Davis.

"What?"Brooke said, looking up from the table she had been staring at for the past 10 minutes.

"What?" Julie said, sounding totally defeated.

"They made it very clear. Brooke Davis." Rick said once again, digging into his briefcase. "She left a letter for each of you, explaining

her decision."

The two sisters each spent a moment looking over their letters.

"Well are there any exceptions? Any-Any- I don't know!" Julie started babbling, obviously flustered.

"If Brooke decides she is unable or unwilling to take care of the children, then you, Julie, are thusly appointed."

Before Julie could respond to that, Brooke cut in, "When should I tell them?"

"Tell them what?"Julie said, her voice shaking.

"That…. well we're going to be roomies!" Brooke said, trying to crack a smile

"You mean… you're going to take them?" Julie said, her voice reeking of disbelief.

"Yeah…" Brooke replied, "I think it might be good for all of us".

* * *

"Wait what?"Lexi said, looking at Brooke in disbelief.

"You mean… We're going to be living with YOU?" Olivia said, sounding even more shocked then her older sister.

"Yup" Brooke said, staring blankly at all of them.

"But I want to live with mommy" Ryan cried.

Brooke just about lost it hearing those words from her nephew. How badly she wanted him to be able to live with his mommy.

"Well sweetie, remember what you and Aunt Julie talked about earlier? Mommy and Daddy are in heaven now. And they still love you

very much, and while they can see you and watch you at my house, they just can't be here with you right now" Brooke tried to explain

to Ryan, without breaking down in tears.

"Otay"Ryan replied gloomily.

They all sat in silence for a few moments. "So… what do you girls think about this?" Brooke said, trying to break the silence.

"Eh… maybe it'll be fun." Olivia said back to her, smiling softly. Olivia was always the optimist, Brooke thought to herself. She was

usually quiet, much more so than Lexi, and Brooke knew that she would do anything she could to make this work out for all of them.

"Yeah…. it will be" Brooke smiled back. "Lex?"

"Whatever" Lexi muttered. With that, she pushed back her chair and ran up the stairs. Music could be heard blaring from above the

dining room seconds later.

Lexi's attitude surprised Brooke. For the past few days, they hadn't really had the chance to talk, with the craziness of the wake,

funeral, and people coming to the house nonstop. She knew that Lexi was probably taking her parents deaths a lot harder than she

appeared to be showing—well okay, scratch that, she knew she was—but she had expected her to confide in her, not run.

"Okay, well it's been a long day for all of us. Livvy, how about you take Ryan upstairs and help him put his jammies on, and I'll meet

you guys in your rooms to say goodnight," Brooke told her niece and nephew.

The two of them headed upstairs. Brooke went to the kitchen to start organizing some of the many casseroles and desserts neighbors

had brought over throughout the weekend. Julie had brought some of it home with her, but there were still dozens of things left on the

island in the kitchen. Molly and Jack were obviously loved by their neighbors just as much as they were by their family. After a few

minutes, she gave up and decided to go try and talk to Lexi.

She made her way up the stairs and knocked softly on Lexi's door. "Lex?" she called. She could still hear music playing faintly inside

the room, but it was nowhere near the sound-barrier breaking levels it was at before. "I'm doing stuff" Lexi called back shortly.

"Come on babe, open the door." Finally, the knob turned and the door opened a crack. Brooke pushed it open all the way to find

Lexi, sitting in the fuzzy chair in the corner of her room, typing away on her laptop, the faint sound of instant messages coming from the

computer's speakers. Brooke sat down Indian style on Lexi's bed. "Come on Lex, turn that thing off and talk to me."

Lexi rolled her eyes and put the computer down and came over and sat next to Brooke on the bed.

"What?" She said finally, a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"It's okay to be sad Lexi. You can talk to me. I mean, come on, we always talk." Brooke said softly.

"Whatever" Lexi replied shortly, playing with her nails.

"Lexi, please. You can't just shut out the world. It's going to be hard for awhile, but it'll be better if you don't just keep it all bottled up

inside" Brooke said.

Lexi sat staring into space for about a minute, and right before Brooke was about to open her mouth again, she saw two big, fat tears

roll down her cheeks.

"Oh sweetie" she said comfortingly, taking Lexi into her arms and engulfing her in a hug. Sobs racked Lexi's body, and for the first

time all weekend, she finally let her feelings out.

"It's okay baby, it's okay" Brooke said, stroking her hair. Brooke knew that Lexi wasn't one to show emotion easily. In fact, the only

other time that Brooke had even seen Lexi cry, aside from when she was a little kid, was about a year ago, when Lexi broke up with

one of her first boyfriends, Danny. Brooke had been at their house for the weekend, actually probably right around this very weekend,

watching the kids while Jack had taken Molly up to Napa for her 38th birthday. Lexi had come home from a party, and after a little

coaxing, admitted to Brooke that Danny had ended things and the tears started to flow. However, Brooke was able to fix that

heartbreak with some Ben & Jerry's and a pedicure. She could only wish that this would be as simple.

Ok...I know it's short but I just want to see if you guys like it! I have the next chapter, and most of the 3rd, already written, so I will upload them as soon as I get some reviews!!! Also, I promise there will eventually be some appearances by the whole OTH cast asap!!!


	2. Getting through

After a few minutes, Lexi calmed down and pulled away from Brooke, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Why don't you start getting ready for bed? Tomorrow is going to be a long day," Brooke told her niece, getting up from the bed

"Ok" Lexi replied softly.

Brooke studied her oldest niece for a moment. Her usually glowing tanned skin seemed pale and washed out. Her beautiful, streaked

hair was up in a messy bun, and instead of one of her usual adorable ensembles, she was adorned in sweats and an old Bobcats t-shirt.

She didn't look anything like Brooke's bubbly, outgoing niece.

Brooke gave Lexi one last tight squeeze, and walked out of the room.

* * *

Her next stop was little Ryan's room. Molly had always told her that Ryan was her "surprise" baby, coming six years after Olivia. But,

he was her little boy and she loved him to death.

Brooke pushed open his door and walked into his bedroom. Ryan was sitting in his racecar bed, hugging his "lovey" or blanket, that he

had had since he was a little boy.

"Hey buddy!" Brooke smiled at the little boy, sitting down next to him, " are you all ready for bed?"

"Yeah… me and lovey are just waiting for mommy and daddy to come tuck us in." Ryan said seriously back to her.

"Sweetie…. we've talked about this. Mommy and Daddy can't come tuck you in right now, remember? But, even if they can't be

here right now and talk to you, if you talk to them I sure they would love to listen" Brooke said, trying to explain once again to a six

year old why his parents couldn't be here with him.

"I know…I just really want them to be here with me" Ryan said sadly, hugging his lovey even tighter

"I know baby…how about we get you all tucked in? Tomorrow is going to be a busy day and you need your rest!" Brooke said,

trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Okay Aunt Brooke…I love you" Ryan said suddenly, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"I love you too buddy" Brooke replied, hugging him back.

* * *

After getting Ryan tucked in, her next and final stop was Olivia's room.

Olivia shared many similarities with Lexi, yet they were still very different. Olivia was much quieter than Lexi, but she usually expressed

her emotions much more. She and Brooke had always gotten along, but they had never had the close bond that Lexi and Brooke had

had.

Brooke stopped and knocked on Olivia's door. "Hey Livvy, can I come in?"

"Yeah" Olivia called back.

Brooke opened up the door to find Olivia already curled up in bed, watching an old re-run of Laguna Beach on tv.

"How are you holding up sweetie?" Brooke asked softly, kneeling down next to her.

"Ok" Olivia replied tightly

"Yano…I was just telling Lexi, it's ok to cry about it Olivia. You don't need to hold all of your feelings inside" Brooke told the

younger girl softly.

"Aunt Brooke, I'm not a total idiot, I know that. This is just how I deal with things, okay?" Olivia responded seriously.

Brooke should have known that. She knew that Olivia was smart, and that if she needed help, she would ask for it. She wasn't like

Lexi, who tried to keep up the perfect exterior. Olivia didn't care what anybody else thought about her, and dealt with things however

she needed to, whether it was quietly or not.

"Ok sweetie. Just know that I'm here okay?" Brooke smiled softly.

"Ok" Olivia smiled back.

Brooke kissed her head and walked out of the room.

She started heading towards the guest room where she had robotically tossed her things this past Saturday, when she stopped out side

Molly and Jack's room. The door was open, and she knew the kids had been in there. That afternoon during the reception, she had

been sent upstairs by Julie to find them. She had found the three of them curled up in the back of Molly's closet, because, according to

a teary eyed Ryan, "it smells like mommy in der". Just hearing those words made her heart want to break.

She walked around Molly's room mindlessly, looking at all the pictures on her dresser. There was her and Jack's wedding photo, as

well as photos of the children. Stuck in the mirror was a picture of the three sisters, taken that summer at a fourth of July barbeque at

Julie's house. Their three smiling faces all looked so happy. It was hard for Brooke to think that that was less then two months ago. It

was amazing how quickly her world had shattered.

* * *

She walked out of the room and back into her own. She changed out of the black dress she had been wearing all day since the funeral

and into sweats and a tank top. After removing her make-up and pulling her long hair into a ponytail, she climbed into bed. She took

the letter that Molly had left her again and re-read it for what seemed like the millionth time, trying to make sense of her oldest sisters

words;

_Dear Brooke-_

_What the hell, I don't even know why I'm writing this to you. But, my always be prepared Jack told me I should, just in case _

_of an emergency. Well, I guess if you're reading this, he's right, and the unimaginable has happened. You're probably _

_wondering why I decided to leave my three kids to you, a twenty-something who knows nothing about kids. I can just picture _

_your reaction. "Why not Julie?" you're probably wondering. I mean, even I know, she's super-mom!! Well, I guess that's why _

_I didn't pick her. I picked you, because you are the most like me. I may be a mom, but I will never be as great a mom as Julie _

_is. You, on the other hand, are most like me, and I think that's what my kids need. They need someone who is most like their _

_real mom, the mom they lost and never really got to know. Julie can help you, of course, with the logistics of it, but I think _

_just being yourself is what they need the most. Listen to Jules, for once, on most things though Brookie. She'll help you learn _

_how to be a mom! I know the kids already love and adore you. You and Lexi have a special kind of bond. I know you two _

_have always had the "big sister" thing going on, and that's a wonderful thing to have. But now, you need to also remember _

_that you're her mother figure. Instead of helping her plot how to get away with things (which I know you do!), you need to be _

_the enforcer, and make sure that she knows it. Olivia, on the other hand…she'll try to keep it all together. She is my little _

_optimist. While Lexi may act out more than usual thinking she can now get away with more, Livvy will do the opposite. She _

_will do anything it takes to make this work, and I couldn't be more proud of her. Ryan. My little surprise. He probably doesn't _

_understand what is going on, and probably won't really understand for quite some time. The girls should recognize this, and _

_will be extra supportive of him. He is smart for his age, but I don't want him to grow up sooner than he has to. I want him to _

_be able to enjoy his childhood to the fullest, as if I were there to help him along. I know you will do great with the kids _

_Brooke. Don't be afraid to rise up to this challenge. You can be stern with them, ground them, whatever it takes. Be their _

_mother!! I know it may seem scary now, but I have faith in you Brooke, and I know you can do this._

_All my love forever, _

_Molly_

Brooke folded up the letter and put it back on her bedside table. Oh, how she hoped Molly was right, she thought to herself as she let

her head hit the pillow and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

A/N: Ok so that's the second chapter!! PLEASE review and tell me what you guys think!! Thanks!!


	3. Longing for Last Week

* * *

Brooke awoke the next morning to a loud crash from downstairs. 

"Crap!" She said to herself as she hastily got out of bed and ran down the steps.

She entered the kitchen to find little Ryan sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by pots and pans and a giant box of bisquick.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" Brooke said curiously.

"I want pancakes!" Ryan answered her.

"Well then, why didn't you just ask?" Brooke smiled.

"Cuz I hearded Wexi tell Owivia that you can't cook for shit" Ryan replied innocently.

"Wonderful" Brooke thought to herself. "Well, why don't you leave the pancakes to me and go get dressed, and for future reference, don't repeat anything Lexi says, okay?"

"Okay!" Ryan said happily and ran upstairs.

The last thing that Brooke needed was Lexi and her mouth. She and Lexi had always gotten along fabulously in a "cool aunt/ niece" sort of way. The "mother/daughter" sort of way was scaring her already.

An hour later, Ryan had eaten his pancakes and was playing in the playroom, and Brooke had just finished cleaning up the kitchen. She looked at the clock, and it was already 11.

She went upstairs to take a shower and start getting ready for the day. Julie was coming over at one to discuss putting the house up for

sale, possibly moving the kids to Brooke's in LA, etc. Brooke was actually kind of nervous about the kid's reactions to moving in with

her. As far as they knew, she would just be living at their house with them. She knew that Ryan probably wouldn't understand what

was going on, and that Olivia would probably not be happy about the move, but would try to put on a happy face for the sake of

everyone else. Lexi, on the other hand, was going to blow a gasket. Brooke knew she wouldn't want to leave all of her friends,

espechially so soon after losing her parents. A week ago, this would have been something that Brooke would have given Lexi the

head's up on ahead of time. But, with her recent change in attitude, there was no way she was going to risk it.

On her way down the hallway to the bathroom she almost bumped into Olivia, who was just getting up.

"Good morning sleeping beauty!" Brooke kidded her.

"Oh shut up Aunt Brooke you know you could outsleep me by hours!" Olivia giggled back.

"Yeah Liv… but that's after a night at the bars!" Brooke winked back.

Olivia laughed and went downstairs to find something for breakfast…. or lunch :).

* * *

In less than an hour, Brook was showered, dressed, and almost done applying her makeup. "Not too bad" she thought to herself. 

After thinking about it, she decided she should talk to Lexi about the move before Julie came over. She thought that maybe if she had

talked to Lexi the same way she always had, and didn't try to hide anything from her, the whole situation might be a lot less stickier.

She paused and took a deep breath before knocking on Lexi's bedroom door.

"Come in!" Lexi called.

Brooke opened the door and was surprised to see that Lexi was already up and dressed, looking like her usual, gorgeous self in low-

rider jeans and a black tank top the hugged her body perfectly.

"Well you look ADORABLE as always!" Brooke chirped sitting down on Lexi's unmade bed.

"Thanks!" Lexi smiled back, before turning back to the mirror to put on the rest of her eyeliner.

It was like the past 4 days had never happened. But, as Brooke was going to have to soon bring up, they had.

"Mkay Lex, here's the deal," Brooke started. She knew she better just cut to the chase and get out what she needed to get out.

"Now, don't freak out or anything but, how would you feel about you, Livvy, and Ryan coming to live with me in L.A.?"

There, she had said it. Lexi dropped her eyeliner and slowly turned around and just stared at Brooke

There was silence in the room for good 15 seconds before Lexi spoke, "you mean… LEAVE like all my friends and everything I've ever known? No fucking way."

Well, as blunt as Brooke had tried to be, Lexi had one-upped her.

"Well babe, Julie is coming over to talk about it later and I just wanted to give you the heads up. Keeping this house, not to mention

the mortgage on it, would just be way too tight and--"

Lexi cut her off before she could say anything else, "Well then we'll just move somewhere else around here! I mean, come on this

house is way too huge anway. Even mom thought so! We'll just sell it and downsize, but I am not moving for my sophomore year of

high school and that's the end of it." With that, Lexi turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving Brooke there to take in

everything she had just heard.

Lexi had always been just like Brooke. Even when she was toddler, Molly had always said she had the same ambitious streak that

Brooke possessed. Now, Brooke realized, it was coming back to bite her in the ass. Lexi had no problem back-mouthing Brooke.

She would never talk like that to her mother, or Julie, but Brooke was her friend, her confidant. To her, it was like talking to one of her

girlfriends. And, Brooke was slowly realizing, giving a teenage girl the chance to spend the rest of her high school days living in a house

with "Aunt Brooke rules" basically meant giving her a life of no rules. Personally, Brooke thought "no biggie" of that whole situation.

But, now that she was the mom, she knew she needed to think of it as a "biggie", or the consequences for Lexi, and herself, could get

ugly.

* * *

Julie came over later and the two sisters began to pour over everything their late sister had left. Brooke filled Julie in on her and Lexi's 

"tiff" earlier that day.

"Wow," Julie said in amazement, "I really didn't think we'd get that horrible of a reaction from her."

"Yeah, me too" Brooke said wistfully.

"Well Brooke, as much as I think that you moving down the block from me is the best decision, I'm realizing that for you, with your

job, the city is the best place for you. And, giving the kids a change of scenery might do them some good. After selling this house,

we'd probably be able to get you a great apartment in a good neighborhood, so I think we should give the whole city thing a try" Julie

said.

"But Jules, didn't you hear what I just said, Lexi doesn't want to go" Brooke replied, a "duh" tone clinging to her voice

"Um Brooke? You're the adult, she's the child. She doesn't get to make that decision. Now, I know she's going through a tough time

right now, but this might do her some good. Besides, a couple weeks ago Molly was telling me how she thought a lot of Lex's friends

were getting into alcohol and sex and all of that junk. Giving her a new start might do her some good!" Julie said, ruffling through some

papers.

Oh, if only she knew.

"But Jules… I don't want her to hate me! I mean, Ryan keeps thinking that Molly and Jack are just going to… I don't know come

back!! And Olivia is trying to put up this perfect front, and I know she is just like… a time bomb ticking! Lexi is my only ally, I can't

have her against me too!!" Brooke blurted out, obviously flustered.

Julie sat silently in thought for a few moments.

"Ok Brooke. I understand where you're coming from. But you really need to watch Lexi! You can't just let her walk all over you!

You can still keep your great relationship, but you have to be an authority figure now, or she's going to be the one drinking and having

sex and doing God only knows what else!" Julie retaliated.

" Oh so what Jules, you don't want her to be like ME!? Because I think I turned out pretty damn good! And I had NOBODY around.

Not Mom, Dad, you, or Molly!!" Brooke exploded, tears coming to her eyes. " And you don't think Lexi is already getting into that

stuff? Well then I guess maybe I know a little more about her than you do, SUPERMOM! Let me take care of these kids the way I

want to, okay?? I don't need your "mommy" advice!! I can do fine on my own!"

Julie just stared at her for a moment. She spoke quietly. "No Brooke, that's where you're wrong. It's your job to protect them now.

I'm not going to argue with you over this now Brooke. All I'm going to say is, moving them to the city, while I personally think children

should be raised in the suburbs, is what I think would be best for them at this stage. I spoke to a realtor this morning, and here are five

places that would be in our price range that looked good to me if you so choose to look at them. Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm having

an incredible craving for a McDonald's quarter-pounder, so I'll be back in five minutes." With that, Julie stood up, grabbed her keys,

and walked out the door.

Brooke knew that Julie was right. She had to do what was best for the kids, even if it meant not always doing what they wanted. She

began thumbing through the stapled pieces of paper that Julie had left on the table. She immediatley saw one that she knew would be

perfect. It was in townhouse in a great neighborhood near Hollywood, and had four spacious bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a living room,

kitchen, and dining room. With the money they would get from the sale of Brooke's condo, as well as Molly's house, it was more than

perfect for their price range.

Just then, Lexi came walking through the kitchen.

Well, it's now or never.

"Hey Lex, come here for a sec," Brooke called to her niece.

Red Bull in hand, Lexi came over to the table where Brooke was sitting.

"What do you think about this house?" Brooke asked her, carefully showing her the sheet.

"Well it looks great, other than the fact it's in Hollywood Hills" Lexi shot back.

"Well I'm glad you like it for the most part, because that is where you're going to be living from here on out" Brooke replied curtly.

"Aunt Brooke, I told you I'm not moving" Lexi said, her voice shaking.

"Well, I know you don't want to. But this is the best thing we can do for ourselves Lexi. And I'm sorry if you don't like it, but this is

the way it's going to bed" Brooke said softly.

Just then, Lexi's cell phone vibrated. She picked it up and looked at the screen for a moment, and then looked back at Brooke.

"Whatever, I can't deal with this right now. I'm leaving, I'll see you later" Lexi said in a voice that sounded faraway.

She grabbed her Juicy Couture purse off the counter, and slipped on her flip-flops, and started walking towards the door.

Suddenly, a thought jumped into Brooke's head "wait, Lexi, what time are you going to be home?" she called.

"Does it really matter?" Lexi yelled back, and slammed the door behind her.

Brooke was left sitting in the kitchen, alone. She wanted to say 'No, it doesn't matter. Have all the fun you want'. Last week she

wouldn't have cared. In fact, she probably would have helped Lexi plot a big night out. But that was last week. Now, deep down, she

knew she had to care. She now had three lives that were her responsibility. Oh, how she longed for last week.

A/N: Ok that's chapter 3. I have more chapters written, but I'm not uploading them until I get more reviews. I'm getting tons of hits but no reviews, and I want to know what you guys think!


	4. And off we go

Julie returned to the house about 15 minutes after Lexi left to find Brooke with her head down on the kitchen table. She silently sat down

next to her. Brooke raised her head from the table, and looked at Julie " I don't know how I'm going to do this," she whispered. "I really

don't know". Julie put her hand on her little sister's shoulder, "your gunna be great. I promise" she smiled comfortingly. With that, Brooke

handed all the realtor papers back to Julie and pointed out to her the house that she thought was best. "That's the one I liked too" Julie

replied. "I have a doctor's appointment in LA tomorrow anyway, so I'll see if I can get a showing of it, and if I think it's worth it, you can

take the kids too see it, sound good?" Brooke just sighed at the thought. "Well…" she started, " I showed it to Lexi, and to say she

wasn't too happy is an understatement."

"Brooke, she isn't going to like anything right now, but she's just gunna have to get through this. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Where is she anyway?" Julie asked.

"She went out." Brooke said.

"Um…with who? And where? And until when?" Julie shot back.

"Um…I don't really know" Brooke mumbled. Julie sighed and thought for a moment, "Okay Brooke, I'm not going to lecture you on

how to take care of these kids. That's your job now. You need to handle this the way you see fit. I need to go pick up Hannah and Tyler

at Mark's parents house, but if you need me, call me." Julie hugged Brooke good-bye, grabbed her keys, and walked back out the door,

leaving Brooke in a quiet house, but not for long of course. About 30 seconds after waving good-bye to Julie, Brooke heard yelling. She

hurried up the stairs and to Olivia's room, where the yelling was coming from. She walked in the doorway to find Ryan jumping up and

down on Olivia's bed, and throwing pillows around as he did.

"RYAN!!! STOP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!!" Olivia was yelling to him.

"You can't make me!!! And mommy's not here so she can't either!!" Ryan shot back.

"AH!! GO AWAY!!" Olivia shouted again. She was just about to lunge at him before Brooke grabbed her from behind. "Okay!" She

yelled, startling the two of them and making the room fall silent. "Ryan, you stop doing that and get out of Olivia's room, and Livvy, start

cleaning this up". Brooke picked Ryan up off the bed and carried him into his room, leaving Olivia to clean up her pillows and stuffed

animals that Ryan had strewn from her neatly made bed. She sat Ryan down in his 'choo-choo' train chair and looked him straight in the

eye. "Ryan" she said sternly. "Why were you making a mess in Olivia's room?" Ryan was silent for a second and looked at the ground,

avoiding her eye. "Ryan" Brooke said again. He finally looked up at her. "Cuz I wanted to". Brooke just looked into his sad little eyes a

moment longer. "Why did you want to?" Brooke asked him softly. Ryan looked at the ground again. "Cuz I thought if I was bad, then

mommy would come back and make me stop." With that he put his little head on her shoulder and gave her a tight hug. Brooke was

hugging him back even tighter, not ever wanting to let go.

About 15 minutes later, Brooke had calmed Ryan down and set up his favorite movie "cars" on his TV. She crept out the door and

peeked into Olivia's room, and saw that she had also put a movie on and was half asleep on her bed. Brooke decided to let her be and

went downstairs and settled on the couch with the newest Cosmo. She thought it would be a good time for all of them to just relax.

About an hour later, Brooke realized it was already 6:30. She went upstairs and bumped into Olivia in the hallway. "Hey Liv" she said,

tousling the girl's hair, "what are you up to?" "Oh hey Aunt Brooke, I was just coming to ask you, is it okay if I sleep over at my friend

Lacy's tonight? Her mom said they'd come pick me up and everything" Olivia asked her. "Of course that'd be fine Livvy, it'd be good for

you to get out and do something" Brooke smiled back. "I'm going to go check on Ryan. It's amazing it's been a whole hour and I haven't

heard a peep from him!" "Oh yeah, I was watching his movie with him for a little bit, and then he just started to fall asleep. He'll probably

be out for the night, because I heard him get up really early this morning." Olivia told her.

"Well then it looks like I have an easy night ahead of me!" Brooke giggled. Olivia smiled, and then got a weird look on her face all of a

sudden. "Yeah maybe…um where's Lexi?" "Um she went out…" Brooke said back uneasily. "Oh…do you know when she's coming

back?" Olivia asked with the same uncertainty in her voice. "Um…not really…when does she usually come back?" Brooke asked,

suddenly realizing how little she knew about the logistics of Molly's family. "Well, her curfew is midnight. But there are some nights when

she knows that mom and dad are-or were- going to be out late at like a benefit or something and that they'd come home and go striaght

to bed just thinking she was here, so then it'd be later." Olivia answered. "So…what time do you think she'll be rolling in tonight?"Brooke

asked nervously. "Honestly? I have no idea. If you really want me to I'll stay and wait with you" Olivia said. "Oh no no no sweetie you

need to go have some fun. Don't worry about Lexi, I'll take care of it" Brooke said cheerfully, forcing a smile on her face. She was slowly

realizing she was in way over her head.

Just like Olivia had predicted, Ryan was out cold for the night, so Brooke had ordered in Chinese food and snuggled up on the couch to

watch bad comedies on TV. She looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight, and she still hadn't heard a word from Lexi. She

decided she should call her cell. She dialed the number, and it rang a few times before the answering machine picked up "Hey bitches its

Lex. Leave it at the beep" Brooke heard Lexi's familiar voicemail message. "Hey Lexi it's Aunt Brooke…I was just wondering when you

were gunna be home sweetie so…just call the house or my cell or text me or whatever and let me know! Thanks babe." She flipped her

phone closed and sat back down on the couch. "Well now what?" Brooke thought to herself. She turned on the TV again, and drifted off

in to a light sleep.

A horror movie suddenly started on TV, the screaming startling Brooke, who had not realized she had fallen asleep. She looked at the time on her phone

again. "1:34" Brooke said out loud. Now she was pissed. Where was Lexi? She dialed her number again, and again she got the voice

mail. She had just hung up the phone again when she heard the front door start to open. It was time to face the music.

A/N: I know… this is kind of short and its been forever and I suck. But thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming and I'll get the next chapter up within the next two weeks I PROMISE!! Thanks!


	5. A little light in the darkness

The front door slammed shut and Brooke heard shoe's being kicked off . She stood up and slowly made her way to the foyer. She watched as her niece clenched the railing and slowly made her way up the stairs. Something was off.

"Lexi" Brooke said in a soft, but stern, voice.

Lexi slowly turned around. "uh huh?" She muttered back. She wavered a little before sitting down on the stair, and put her head in her lap.

Brooke stared at her for a moment. "Lex….have you been drinking?"

Lexi shook her head no, but Brooke knew. She was the party queen of Los Angeles. And she knew damn well that her barley sixteen year niece was trashed.

"Ahh Alexia Danielle Ivers I really don't need this right now" Brooke said haughtily as she quickly walked to the kitchen to get her some water. She returned a minute later and sat next to Lexi on the stairs, holding the glass for her as she sipped water. Lexi just sat with a dazed look on her face, not saying anything until all of a sudden her face paled.

"Aunt Brooke I don't feel good" She sputtered out as she quickly tried to stand up. She stumbled a little, and Brooke quickly grabbed her arm and helped her up the few stairs remaining to the top and into the bathroom. No sooner than she had knelt down, Lexi proceeded to throw up all the alcohol she had taken down over the past few hours. Brooke could do nothing but hold her hair and rub her back.

* * *

After a few minutes, Lexi sat back against the bathroom wall. Brooke held the water glass up to the younger girl's lips, and for a while the two just sat silently, as Lexi sipped water.

Finally, Brooke stood up.

"Come on, it's almost 3 in the morning. We need to get some sleep". She helped Lexi stand up and held her arm to steady her as she walked her to her bedroom. She sat Lexi down on her bed and opened up her dresser drawers to look for some pajama pants for her niece. Before she could find the garments, she heard a sniffle behind her. She turned around to see Lexi muffling back tears.

"What's up Lexi?" Brooke said walking over to her, trying to sound compassionate but not completely able to hide the exhaustion and annoyance from her voice.

As soon as she walked over to her, Lexi lost it. She started sobbing.

"Aunt Brooke it's not fairrrrrrr. I just want my mom. I want her so bad. It's not fair. Why. I don't understand. I just want her to be here so bad. It sucks. It all sucks. And Tony. Tony doesn't get it. I can't do it Aunt Brooke. I can't have sex with him. Even though I got the pills. I'm too scared. And I do everything else, but he wants more or he's gunna leave me too. Just like mom and dad. I need him, but I can't do that. Everything else except that one thing. Why is it so hard? can't even do it after I drink. Every time I want to, but then I stop before. I can't handle this Aunt Brooke. I just want my mom" Lexi blubbered and continued sobbing.

Brooke knew she was still very drunk, but was also a firm believer in the saying that a drunken mind speaks a sober heart. Her heart broke for her niece. All her annoyance left her as she watched Lexi's body rack with sobs.

She knew she wouldn't have a clear memory of this the next morning, but she decided to tell her anyways. She sat down the bed next to Lexi, and rubbed her back.

"Lexi, look at me" Brooke said softly to the younger girl and slowly turned her body towards her. Lexi looked up at her with those big brown Davis eyes, identical to Brooke's own, her cheeks stained with tears

"Sweetie, I knew you're in a lot of pain right now. But you know that your parents love you so much and are with you always. OK? You don't need to do anything you don't want to do, and you don't need to drink like this to make yourself do it. It's not fair. I know it's not, but we're going to get through this." Brooke spoke softly, stroking Lexi's hair.

"I just want my mom!!" Lexi was wailing now. She was crying harder and louder than anyone Brooke had ever heard. Her body was shaking uncontrollably. Brooke didn't know what to do. Lexi was starting to gag she was crying so hard, and the massive amount of alcohol in her obviously wasn't helping. Brooke grabbed the trash can next to the bed, and held Lexi's hair back as she got sick. After a few minutes, the sickness subsided, but Lexi was still wailing in pain, both mental and physical.

Brooke did the only thing she could think of. She wrapped her arms around Lexi, and laid down on the bed. Lexi kicked and shook to try to break loose of her grasp, but Brooke wouldn't let her go. After about ten minutes of this, Lexi stopped struggling and her sobs slowly died down. Her breathing began to return to normal, and she eventually fell asleep. Brooke slowly got up from the bed, making sure not to disturb her, even though she knew Lexi had probably passed out from the alcohol and exhaustion. She placed the trashcan next to her bed, put the glass of water on her bedside table, threw a blanket over her niece, flipped off the lights, and quietly closed the door.

The second she closed the door she sank down against the wall, head in hands. She was scared. She had never seen her niece, let alone anybody, have that kind of breakdown. She didn't know where to turn. She knew if she called Julie, she would just get a lecture on how she needs to get a therapist, and how moving and putting Lexi in a new school will get her away from alcohol. But that's not what Brooke needed to hear. She knew the kids would probably need some counseling. And she knew that no matter what school she was in, teenagers were teenagers and alcohol and sex would play a role at some point. What she didn't know was how she was going to handle this. She couldn't handle watching her sassy niece have a complete mental breakdown. She couldn't handle watching Olivia walk on eggshells. She couldn't handle watching poor little Ryan try to piece together what was happening. She could handle being the friend. She couldn't handle being the mom.

* * *

Brooke was awoken at 9 am the next morning, a mere 5 hours after she had finally drifted off to sleep, to a little boy about 4 feet tall standing next to her. She opened her heavy eyes and used every ounce of energy in her to smile at little Ryan.

"Hey buddy. What's up" She smiled.

"Wellls, I woke up very early this morning. So I got my own cheerios because you were sweeping so much you were snoring!! But now I'm bored and I want to watch Disney channel, but I can't find the remote!" Ryan innocently replied.

Brooke couldn't help but laugh at Ryan's cuteness. She forced herself out of bed and went downstairs with the little boy and turned the TV on for him while she made herself a strong cup of coffee. She was physically and mentally drained, but she knew she had to stay strong for the kids. She felt bad putting Ryan in front of the TV so much, so after his show ended she had him pick a board game for the two of them to play. After what seemed like hours of searching through his overly loaded toy closet, he finally selected Candy Land. Brooke and him played four games before she finally had had enough and decided to go shower. After seeing that Ryan was content with his toy trains, she scurried upstairs.

Brooke opened Lexi's door quietly and wasn't surprised to see that her niece hadn't moved from the same position she had left her in the night before. She placed two Advil on the nightstand next to the water glass, and went off to take her shower and get ready for the day.

* * *

By the time Brooke emerged from her room, it was going on noon. She cracked Lexi's door again and saw her niece sitting up in bed, sipping the water and staring into space. She opened the door all the way and walked in.

"How ya doin' today?"Brooke said to the younger girl, half saracastic and half serious.

Lexi looked up at her with a half smile.

"I feel like absolute shit. But it happens."

Brooke was surprised by her reaction. She decided to press her a little more.

"Lexi…you were extremely drunk last night. Don't you remember?"

Lexi gave her a look.

"Um yeah I was totally slammed but whatevs. Not like it's the first time Aunt Brooke. Sorry if you got to witness me puking," She said, motioning to the trashcan, "it must've been the jello shots. They made me kind of sick last time too".

Brooke just stared at her niece with a blank look on her face.

"Lexi….do you really not remember last night at all?"

"No, I remember. I came in the house and could barely make it up the stairs, and you gave me water and walked me up, and I'm pretty sure held my head over the trashcan. Thanks Aunt Brooke, you're the best!"

Brooke was shocked. Part of her was happy that Lexi didn't remember the drunken breakdown, but the other part of her was nervous that Lexi really didn't see anything wrong with her behavior.

"Lexi. You were as drunk as I've seen anyone be without convulsing or having to go to the hospital. And I've seen a lot. You are sixteen years old, and are NOT allowed to be drinking. Got it? I don't want a repeat of last night ever, understand?" Brooke couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. Lexi just stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You KNEW I drank. I've drunk dialed you before. Why do you all of a sudden care? It's not like you don't do it!" Lexi spatted out angrily.

Brooke could understand why Lexi was upset. She had kind of forgotten about the hilarious drunken phone calls she would occasionally get from her niece on the weekends. But she needed to know that things had to change.

"Lexi, I'm 26, not 16. And I know that this may seem unfair, but I was being irresponsible before. Honestly, that's who I am-err, was. I can't lie about that. But now, I have to be the responsible one, because there isn't anybody else to be. I have to make sure you're safe. I'll still be here to hear all your secrets, and I won't judge you like "normal" parents, because, let's face it, I'm cooler than they are. I'll still let you get away with a hell of a lot more than you should, and quite honestly will think most of it is pretty sweet. But I have to put my foot down when it comes to things regarding your safety sweetie."

There. She had said it. She had been 100% honest with Lexi, and was hoping that it didn't come back to bite her in the ass.

Lexi stared at her for a couple of minutes, and then looked down.

"Yeah….I get it…."

Brooke felt as if she had finally done something right for the first time in days. It took everything in her from jumping around the room in delight.

"Good…I'm glad we've got that figured out" Brooke smiled back. "Now…take those Advil and lay down or you're gunna feel even worse later."

Brooke turned to leave the room, and just before she walked out, Lexi called out to her.

"Hey Aunt Brooke?"

Brooke stopped and looked at her. "Yes my dear?"

"I…I don't really remember last night. But I do know I was upset about some things and um…probably told you…." She trailed off.

Brooke slowly nodded.

Lexi continued, "And um…well do you think I could talk to you about that later? Like…ya know…how it was before…" Lexi stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact.

Brooke half smiled. "Sweetie….I am ALWAYS here for you to talk. You know that. That will never change….I'm Aunt Brooke!! Lay down and we'll talk later ok? I have to go make sure Ryan is alive and possibly go pick Olivia up"

Lexi half smiled back at her. "Thanks Aunt Brooke….I love you"

"I love you too Lex." Brooke replied as she walked out into the hall.

She was so glad Lexi and her were on good terms for the time being, and that Lexi was still willing to open up to her. But she was still nervous for the rest of her emotions and unruly behaviors, not to mention Olivia's and Ryan's own issues, that were sure to rear their ugly heads in the future. She knew she had to take it one day at a time, and decided to do one thing to make herself feel better. She went and picked up the phone to call her oldest, very best friend.

* * *

AN: SO if anyone is still reading….this story is officially off the shelf! Ha….review and tell me what you think/if you want me to continue! If enough people want me to, I will very soon!


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